The Deity's Choice
by Shadow Link
Summary: Link wakes up with after a disturbing dream. He goes to the desert and fights himself using the Fierce Deity mask, and loses. His shadow takes the mask from Link and assumes his identity. *Chapter 9 up* Sorry for the huge delay. R & R please.
1. Prolouge

Hey people. This is the first story I've every written on fan fiction, so bear with me. Please review if you can. I don't mind if you think it's horrible, I would just like to know how it is so I can improve upon it.  
  
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Link looked at the four children and held the mask in his hand. The children waved good-bye and disappeared. All that was left to do was the final battle. Link looked at the tree where the a fifth and final child sat. As he walked, holding the mask in his hand, he wondered what power it might hold.  
  
He reached the child, who seemed so innocent, although he was wearing Majora's mask. The child asked him if he wished to proceed to the final battle. He said the last words with a slight emphasis.  
  
Link stood in a room. There was no exit to be seen. The walls were swirled with colors of purple, black, and blue. On the far wall hung Majora's mask. Link looked at the mask he held in his hand.  
  
The mask looked like nothing more than a silver dome. But, after looking at it for a while, the mask changed to reveal a picture of himself. Horrified, Link dropped the mask.  
  
The mask looked like Link in every way, except its eyes were a pure white. Looking down on it, he felt extreme hatred emanate from it. He was scared of it, the mask too evil to even look at. But something inside him said he should pick it up. No, Link thought to himself. I will not. Link took the mask and placed it in his tunic.  
  
His tunic had a strange ability to hold more than it's own size. It held almost all of Link's belongings, including his transformation masks.  
  
As he took a step forward, the mask of Majora detached from the wall and came to life; the battle had begun. Link drew his sword and shield and prepared himself for the battle.  
  
The mask took its various forms and Link adapted himself to each one. All through the battle, the part Link always tried to suppress told him to put Fierce Deity on. But the other side of him ruled over. Time slowed, and Link's mind debated on what to do. Fierce Deity would allow him to defeat Majora with ease, but what about the consequences. Evil never did good unless it planned to profit from it.  
  
Link raised his sword, the defeated Majora lay on the ground. With a plunge of his sword, Link defeated Majora and stopped the moons descent on Termina.  
  
A black hole opened under his feet. He fell through the seemingly endless darkness. Finally, his job here was done. He closed his eyes and continued his unending fall. Soon he lost consciousness and felt nothing.  
  
He was standing in front of Termina's tower. He looked up into the sky. The moon was far away, and yet Link thought he saw a smile on it. Link walked around a bit, but no one recognized him or knew what he was talking about when he mentioned the moon falling. Many people simply laughed and said he was crazy to even think such a thing.  
  
Maybe that's the way it should be after all, Link thought to himself. I alone should carry the burden of making sure the world stays in order. He walked back to the tower and entered. There stood the man from the happy mask shop.  
  
"I see you were able to stop doom in its tracks," he said to the boy. "But, how do you know," Link asked amazed. "That is not for you to know little one. You must find out for yourself. For now, all I would like is the mask." Link emptied his tunic of all his masks, but the man did not want the masks of transformation. As Link continued emptying, the mask of Majora came out and landed on the ground. Link stared in wonder. He had no memories of ever picking up the mask. The man simply smiled and took the mask and all the others as well. Link did not want them (excluding the transformation masks).  
  
"And now," the man stated, "it is time I helped you in some small way." His mouth moved and said silent words. Before Link's eyes, a door opened into the wall of stone. With a gesture of his hand, the man bade him enter the door. Link approached and opened the door with caution.  
  
He was in his small house on Lon Lon Ranch. Looking behind, he saw that the door had disappeared. He walked over to his bed and lay down. Finally, he thought, I may be allowed a little rest in my role as the Hero of Time. 


	2. The Dream

Second chapter of the story. Please review, I'd really appreciate it. Hope you enjoy it.  
  
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It was raining heavily. Link looked out onto Hyrule Field where a dark figure loomed in the distance. Approaching slowly he saw the figure. As Link tried to get a closer look, the figure vanished and Link was no longer on Hyrule Field; he was on a flat, grassy plain. A ways away stood two tall trees. Each tree was rather close to the other. Under the tree to the right, a figure stood. Link walked to the figure, but he lost control of his body. His legs directed him to the unoccupied tree.  
  
Looking into the figure face, he saw silver eyes, with red pupils. "So we finally meet, face to face. Are you ready to meet yourself, to complete who you are? If you can't, turn back, you will only bring disaster to yourself," the figure said. His voice had a hollow echo in it. "Who are you?" Link asked confused. The figure did not answer.  
  
The trees vanished. He was suddenly back on Hyrule Field and it was still raining.  
  
The figure stood in front of him, a strange blade drawn and waiting. The two stood a moment and thought, or at least Link did. Link understood the challenge. He drew his sword and took his fighting stance. The figure leaped into the air and swung at Link. Link dodged it easily but as he dodged it he noticed the blade was dark.  
  
Link did a back flip and parried a blow aimed at his body. He countered, trying to end the battle by impaling his opponent. But the other was too smart for a simple maneuver such as that. The figure manipulated his body, and easily moved out of the way of Link's blade.  
  
The two fought in the rain, each attacking with his own technique and defending the same way. Soon, however, Link began to tire and make mistakes. He swung his blade with all his might, the figure dodging it as usual. His sword plunged into the ground. In the moment in which he hesitated, the figure slashed at Link's middle.  
  
He sat up in bed, his forehead drenched in sweat. He looked through his small window; dawn was far from near. Still shaken from the strange dream, Link exited his little house.  
  
Walking down the short dirt road he came to the windmill of the ranch. Continuing walking, he thought he saw a dark figure in the shadows, but quickly dismissed it as the strange dream still lingering in his mind.  
  
He brought out his ocarina and played the song that would, he knew, give him some relief from the horror of the dream.  
  
Epona came trotting too him. She whinnied softly and nuzzled her nose into Link's cheek. Although just a horse, Link thought otherwise. He could always talk to Epona when he needed to get things out of his mind. He mounted the horse and patted her on the neck. The bond between Link and Epona was greater than any friendship Link had with anyone else. Epona already knew what Link had in mind and quietly left the ranch.  
  
However, just before leaving, he stopped by the house. As he approached the door he laughed at himself quietly and thought, its instinct now. I always have to be looking over people and make sure they're all right. He entered the door and climbed upstairs. Slowly he opened the door and peered in.  
  
Marin and Talon slept soundly. Marin did not stir as Link stood over her. "I'll be back," he said, "I just need some time to think."  
  
He exited the house and mounted his horse again. With a nudge from his knee, Epona galloped off and onto Hyrule Field.  
  
The wind rushed through Link's hair; he hadn't bothered to put his cap on. The sweat on his face evaporated and cooled him, allowing him to think about the strange dream.  
  
Many people may have a weird dream ever once-in-a-while, but Link always had weird dreams. Although he couldn't always understand them, he knew they meant something; they always did. It was one of the downsides to being the Hero of Time and protector of Hyrule, but he was able to deal with it.  
  
Epona slowed her pace to a trot as she entered Guerdo Valley. Reaching the ravine through which the River Hylia ran, Epona stopped. A recent storm had destroyed the bridge the carpenters had built for Link, leaving no way to reach the Guerdo's fortress except through FireTop Mountain. But Link knew another way to get there.  
  
Leaning forward he whispered in Epona's ear, "Are you ready?" The horse shook her head wildly, her eyes reflecting the response.  
  
Link spurred her into a gallop and they sped towards the destroyed bridge. Just as they reached the edge, the great horse leaped into the air. Link let go of the reins and let his arms flail in the light wind. Epona landed with as much grace as ever on the other side of the canyon.  
  
Continuing on, Link reached the Guerdo's fortress. The Guerdo's were used to Link's frequent visits and paid him little attention. In anticipation of his arrival, the archery range was always set up in case Link wanted to let off some steam.  
  
Reaching the archery range, Link dismounted Epona and let her be; he knew she wouldn't go far. Taking his bow and quiver off of Epona's saddle, he suited himself up for some target practice. Taking out an arrow, Link shot and hit one of the ten pots. Link took another arrow and hit the mark. Continuing in this motion, Link destroyed the pots one by one until he came to the ninth pot. As the arrow flew, it missed the pot by a few inches. Why! Link thought as he laughed at himself. He was never able to hit the ninth pot on his first shot. Reaching into his quiver he pulled out another arrow.  
  
Aiming at the pot, Link fired. The arrow struck its target and the pot broke into pieces, which were scattered along the ground. Taking another arrow from his quiver, he aimed it at the last remaining pot, which he hit as easily as all the others (except the ninth one) All of the fun targets gone, he called to Epona and mounted her.  
  
Trotting down the path, Link stopped at the edge of the Haunted Wasteland and dismounted. Walking a few steps Link motioned for Epona to leave. He watched as Epona trotted off. Turning to face the desert, he began walking.  
  
As he passed by the guards, one questioned him saying, "Going to fight, are ya' Link?" Link nodded but said nothing.  
  
Link thought he knew what the dream meant, but he wouldn't be sure until he tried this. Link knew he would have to confront himself, and the Fierce Deity.  
  
Far off in the distance, out of Link's range of vision, lay the Temple of Mirrors, where one could battle himself/herself to measure his skill. Link had never been there, he was too afraid of what might come out of it; what he might have to do to defeat it. But now, the dream prompted him to go.  
  
So here we meet, face to face. 


	3. The Shadow's victory

A.N.- Here's chapter 3. I know it's kind of short, but don't worry. Thank- You soooo much Heath 999. It's really encouraging to know that someone's reading your story. I hope you and any other readers enjoy chapter 3. Read and review please  
  
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A voice deep in Link's mind grew strong. It had been suppressed for so many years, but now it had a chance to say what it wanted, for a bit. With all its strength it cried out two words, "Fierce Deity". But the stronger part of Link beat it down. It could say no more.  
  
The guards on either side of the temple paid Link little attention as he entered the door. The room inside was simple. The walls were nothing more than a sandy color. In front of him stretched a long dark hallway. Continuing to walk, Link shuddered; the temperature in the hallway had dropped. Seeing a light not far off, Link quickened his pace. Entering the room, he was quite surprised by what he saw.  
  
The room was rather dull, the walls being the same as those of the walls of the first room. The room was very large. Barely within the range of Link's vision, at the far end of the room, lay a silver wall. Link walked toward it and eventually got a better look. The wall did look as if it was made of metal, and yet Link knew it wasn't. Reaching out his hand, he touched the strange wall. He shuddered again; the wall was also cold. Ripples shot throughout the wall, making it look as though it were made of liquid. Link took a step back; something was emerging.  
  
The figure stood in front of Link, entirely coated with the same material as that of the wall from which he had emerged. It stood the same height as Link, but it did not move in any way. Slowly the strange silver crept away, moving up his body. His feet, legs, body, arms, neck, and finally the head appeared. The only difference between it and Link was that its eyes were silver, its pupils red.  
  
Link took a step back, amazed by the look of the person. He was an exact duplicate of Link: Face, body, everything looked exactly like Link. Link stood and looked back at the duplicate of his twelve-year-old self. The shadow drew his sword and stood, waiting for Link's response. Slowly Link drew his weapon and waited. The shadow stood, unmoving, and said, "So we meet, face to face." Link hid his emotions, but inside he was terrified. The shadow's words were almost identical to those of the figure in his dream.  
  
The shadow attacked toward Link, and he blocked it quickly. The attack had caught Link off guard, and the shadow took advantage of it. Jabbing at Link's stomach, leaving him barely able to block the deadly strike. Link countered, and the shadow parried. The shadow countered, and Link parried. It didn't occur to Link, but the battle was a lot like the battle in his dream. Link continued to fight the shadow of himself. The weak voice inside him cried out in his terror, "Fierce. Deity."  
  
As Link fought, the evil inside him grew in power. It fought against the good of Link's consciousness that had kept it suppressed so long. As the battle continued, Link began to weaken, while his shadow appeared to be getting better. The battle inside Link raged on as well. Like Link, the good inside him was beginning to tire. Each battle slowly came to the advantage of evil. The shadow continued its merciless attacks on Link. Finally, Link stood back and charged his sword with energy. He aimed it at the shadow and let it out. The shadow flew across the room and landed with a thud on the ground. Inside Link's mind, though, the evil had overcome the good. It gave its message loud and clear, "Fierce Deity".  
  
Link stood watching as his shadow slowly recovered. Link felt his arm move and go into his tunic. Searching, he removed the mask of Fierce Deity. Linked looked down at it. He felt no evil; it seemed harmless. He lifted it to his face, of his own will, and put it on.  
  
Link fell to his knees as the pain of the transformation began. Power was being put into Link's body at a rate he couldn't control. He felt as if he was going to explode. His mind burned. And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped. Slowly he rose to his feet. He looked at his opponent through different eyes. He looked at his opponent with eyes of fury. He saw his surroundings, but all thoughts were centered around his opponent.  
  
The shadow had recovered and now stood roughly fifteen feet away. It looked upon Fierce Link. In its mind this only made things easier, now it was fighting against itself, not its counterpart.  
  
Fierce Link ran towards his opponent raising his sword. He struck at the shadow, but he was blocked to easily. Rage burned inside of Link. He attacked again and again until finally the shadow was trapped against one of the walls of the room. Fierce Link continued fighting, knowing the end was near. Preparing to finish off the shadow, Fierce Link left himself vulnerable for an instant. In that instant, the shadow took its sword and thrust it into the Link's body.  
  
He felt the pain, the mask didn't. In fact, the mask reveled in it. Link fell to the ground, defeated by his own shadow. The shadow bent down and placed its hand on Link's face. The mask began to come off, easily in fact, for it awaited its new body in which it could truly do its will. Link watched helplessly as the shadow placed the mask upon it face. It did not fall to the ground, or make any kind of noise. Instead it took a deep breath, as if relaxing! It began to change slightly. The once silver eyes took on the appearance of Link's. There now was no difference between the shadow and Link. Quickly, the shadow walked down the hallway.  
  
Link wanted to get up, but his body would not. He felt as he lost his grip on life. His eyes drooped. All because of a dream, he thought. This is what it meant. This is the end of me. The end of Hyrule. Link's thoughts blurred.  
  
A.N.- Hope you liked it. Sorry Link bit the dust, but don't worry. 


	4. The Boy

A.N. Here's chapter 4, the longest one yet. Thank-you, FireFairy, for your review; its a big help. Well, read, enjoy, and review. ________________________________________________________________________  
  
Link saw nothing, but darkness. Yet he heard voices, they echoed throughout his head. He could barely make out the words, they seemed far away and hard to make out.  
  
"It is time," a voice stated. "He must be brought back" "But why? He died, they all will eventually," another voice asked. "Because," said a third voice, "It fulfills the prophecy in the legend." "And what is that Nayru" the second voice asked. "Well, Din, the prophecy goes something like this: He will bring himself down, and walk out alive. He will be born a second time, and live a second life. He will discover who he is, and discover who he was. He will meet himself. He will bring himself down again, ending the two and creating one. That's why he must live again. He must bring down the evil counterpart that is his other half." "O.K. you made your point, Nayru. So what do we do, put him in the middle of a forest, where is he going to live. Hey Farore what do you think." "Well," Farore started, surprised by Din's sudden question at her, "I think we should give him another life. If we don't allow him to live again, it will be concluded that he was not the real Hero of Time, since the prophecy came from the legend of the Hero of Time. Then Ganondorf will return and take over Hyrule yet again. " "It doesn't matter where he will be born in," Nayru stated. "His parents do not matter either, Din; so you won't have to worry about that." "O.K.," Din conceded, "Here goes."  
  
Until this point, Link had felt nothing. Suddenly, though, he felt as if he was being put together. He saw a large circle, swirling with different colors, open in front of him. He looked down. His body was starting to appear as if it had been hidden by a veil and was now being dropped. The circle sucked Link into it. He felt all his memory slowly being taken away from him: The battle with his shadow, the dream, Majora, the moon, Clock Town, Ganon, the sages, Dark Link, Zelda, Malon, Talon, Epona, Saria, the forest, his life. He knew nothing, pain, emotion; everything had been sucked out of him. He lost his grip on consciousness. His last thought before his memory completed failed him and he knew no more was, so this is death.  
  
Three days after Link's shadow had defeated him, a strange person walked into Hyrule castle. He had the appearance of a boy the princess knew, but inside the person was entirely different than the person the princess knew. On his face was a mask, which no one knew he wore. Behind that mask was a face with white eyes. In the white eyes were rage and a want for power. The person acted exactly like Link, and yet he didn't. The princess noticed it but didn't make a big deal out of it. She knew Link never would stay the same forever. He had been spotted a few times taking to himself, but it was not thought of very much. To the princess, he seemed as if he had another person inside of him, but she didn't go further into these assumptions.  
  
This person continued on as if nothing had happened inside the temple. When Malon had asked him where he had been, he simply said he went for a ride. No one suspected the person they knew as Link of anything, as anyone would have. But the shadow knew what had happened. And he used other people's ignorance to his advantage.  
  
On that same exact day, a child was born in Kakariko village. The child's name was Arkan. Arkan seemed normal by appearance. But Arkan, inside, had a potential waiting to be unlocked. Zinc, the boy's father, and Lumina, the boy's mother, knew that boy was special; as do many, if not, all parents, but not in the way intended. Arkan learned quickly, but was always getting into some kind of mischief. He seemed restless, as if he needed something to do. But, he had a friend to be with to help him get in and out of trouble, Locke.  
  
Arkan always was able to dodge things easily and had very quick reflexes. He would often go somewhere and not be seen for some time. Then, he would walk right into the village like he had never been gone at all. He moved very nimbly, and was great in athletics. Because of his abilities, he was said to be a Sheikah; but there was no proof of it. Also, a faint imprint on his hand could be seen, a triangle. His parents and everyone else in the village regarded it as nothing more than a birthmark.  
  
---Ten Years Later---  
  
A steady rain poured out of the sky. Water ran down his face and into his eyes. Arkan reached his arm up and wiped his face. Locke stood beside him looking around in the haze created by the rain.  
  
They stood behind a gravestone, in the graveyard just east of Kakariko. Locke peered over the gravestone. "Doesn't look like ol' Dampe's anywhere near, are you ready?" "Yeah," Arkan answered, "I guess so, but what do you think we'll find?" "I dunno', but it'll probably be cool no matter what we find." "Locke," Arkan began, "you're coming with me, right?" "Don't worry," Locke answered, "I'll stick with you, just push it already" Arkan nodded in agreement and put his hands against the gravestone and pushed. Slowly the gravestone slid out of its place and revealed a hole underneath. Arkan had a little trouble pushing the gravestone and not falling into the hole, but he was able to move the gravestone and fully uncover the hole.  
  
Bending down, Arkan saw a ladder leading down into a pit of darkness. Looking at Locke, he mounted the ladder and descended down into the hole. Continuing climbing down the ladder, Arkan noticed that there was a faint light at the bottom of the hole, which he descended. "Hey Locke," Arkan shouted, "there's a light at the end of the hole, we're close to the bottom."  
  
Within a few minutes, Arkan had reached the bottom and was waiting for Locke. Once Locke reached Arkan, they silently walked down the hallway that was there.  
  
The hallway was lined with torches that were said to be enchanted and because of the enchantment, they were always kept lit. Arkan sniffed the air, it was stuffy and had the smell of dead animals. Small bones and rat bodies were strewn throughout the hallway, which gave both Arkan and Locke and uneasy feeling about the place.  
  
They reached a stone door, with writing on it. Locke tried to read it but said, "It's some ancient language. Maybe your dad could decipher it, Ark." Arkan put his hands on the door and gave a great shove, but the door hardly moved an inch. "A little help would be nice, Locke." Locke joined Arkan and they both pushed on the door. Slowly it opened, the hinges had stiffened from their lack of use. Locke and Arkan entered the room and looked about themselves.  
  
The room was barren except for a rectangular stone box that stood in the middle of the room, with a few shallow steps leading to it. Arkan and Locke approached the tomb slowly, afraid they might see a ghost or something of the sort. They looked at the top of the tomb. It had more of the ancient writing on it, so the boys did not bother to try and read it. They placed their hands on the top of the tomb and pushed. The stone top slid off and fell onto the floor with a loud bang. The two looked over and into the tomb.  
  
A skeleton lay inside with a shield and sword laid upon his arms, which were crossed over his chest. The sword was rather short for a person of the size of the skeleton; it was about the right size for Arkan, in fact. Reaching in, Arkan took the sword removed the scabbard. He waved the blade around, the light gleaming off of its silver edges. "Wow," Locke said staring at the blade, "cool." "Yeah," Arkan said, "there's some more of that weird writing on the blade. Maybe I'll take your advice and have my dad try and read it." The two stood a moment and thought, then Locke broke the silence and said, "Well, let's go. There's nothing else for us to find." Turning to leave, Arkan replace the sword inside its sheathe and put it on his back. Walking away and into the hallway, Arkan heard a clatter. He spun around and looked to where he thought it had come from, the tomb. Locke continued to walk, but seeing that Arkan had stopped, he asked, "What's the matter, Ark." "I'm not sure," Arkan answered skeptically, "I thought I heard something." "Oh, c'mon," Locke teased, "Don't tell me you're afraid of ghosts." "I'm not," Arkan protested, "but I still think I heard something." "Oh well, let's keep going before Dampe` finds out we're here," Locke said. Arkan turned and continued to walk when he heard another, louder, clatter. This time both Arkan and Locke turned around to see where the noise had originated.  
  
Locke and Arkan stood horrified by what they saw. Out of the tomb, a skeleton was emerging. It's bony arms heaving its body out of the tomb, it stood on the floor and walked toward Arkan; sword drawn. Fear gripped Arkan's entire body, but something allowed his arm to reach back and grab his newfound sword. The skeleton stopped about two-yards away from Arkan and looked directly into his eyes. Arkan felt his life being drained as he looked into the empty eye sockets. The deep blue of his eyes was drained, leaving a very faint grey. The skeleton opened its mouth and spoke in a chilling hollow voice. "Return the relic. You know not what you hold." Arkan stood firm, unwilling to heed the dead creature's demands.  
  
Suddenly, the skeleton swung its sword at Arkan. Arkan clumsily blocked the blow that could have easily cut his body in two. Arkan did not know what drove him to defend himself against the animated corpse, but he didn't care right then. All he cared about was that he was alive. The skeleton attacked without mercy, forcing Link to take a step back at every strike. The skeleton raised its sword and prepared to bring it down upon Arkan. In that instant, something inside Arkan commanded his arm to swing. The sword sliced through the skeleton's body. It fell to the ground, the bones scattering themselves in all directions. The head rolled around and finally stopped, looking at Arkan. The mouth opened again and spoke its final words. "I could not stop you, I fear you may not be able to command the power of that blade. The curse is upon you, it is your burden. May you do well with the burden you have placed upon yourself. Goodbye, young and fierce warrior." Arkan stood and looked upon the know lifeless corpse (which had been dead in the first place) and said to it, "I am sorry." "What are you doing?" Locke asked. Arkan had completely forgotten about Locke and what had happened to him. "Where were you this entire time?" Arkan asked, a slight bit angry. "Sorry, Ark. I was too scared. If it could of moved I would have." Arkan calmed himself and said coolly, "It's O.K. lets go home, this is enough adventure for one day" "Agreed," Locke said. The two boys turned and headed towards the ladder that led to the exit silently. There was far too much to think about to be able to talk.  
  
They both slowly climbed the ladder leading to the surface, waiter pouring onto them from the sky. What did he mean by, "The curse is upon you, it is your burden". Arkan continued to mull it over until he reached the end of the ladder. Heaving himself out of the hole, he waited for Locke to emerge. Once he was out, they started to walk back to the village. However, as they walked, they heard an angry voice in the distance.  
  
"What are you kids doin' around here. If you been messin' with the graves I'll have your hides in no time." Arkan and Locke looked back. In the distance, a man emerged from the mist of the rain, waving a shovel and yelling. "Shoot, Dampe` found us," Arkan muttered. "Forgot it," Locke commanded, "RUN!". The two boys broke into a sprint heading towards the village. Dampe's voice was fading away, but Arkan and Locke dared not slow their pace. They reached the village and headed for their homes, waving good-bye for each other for the day. Arkan raced up the stairs, which led to his house. He opened the door, rushed in, and slammed the door shut panting as he recuperated from his extended sprint.  
  
"So, you're home. Come here, Arkan," a voice came from upstairs. Arkan climbed the stairs and entered the room where the voice had come from. The room's walls were nothing but bookshelves. In the middle of the room was a table with paper, books, and pencils strewn all over it. Sitting at the table was a man, studying a book and scribbling notes on a piece of paper. The man had brown hair, and green eyes. He was fairly well built, but he wouldn't be starting any fights. On the floor were about twenty crumpled up paper balls, most likely failed attempts at deciphering something.  
  
"Yeah dad, what is it?" "Where've you been?" "Well," Arkan hesitated, "the graveyard." "What were you doing there?" "We.. I was messing around with the graves." "Well, was it you or you and someone else."? "It. it was me and Locke." "Hmm, What did you find?"  
  
Arkan reached back and grabbed the sword in its scabbard. He had completely forgot about it, and when he had grabbed it in the tomb, he hadn't taken time to examine what it looked like to seriously.  
  
The scabbard was a blood red; nothing else could be seen on it. Arkan drew the sword from it and examined it as well. The sword's blade had an inscription on it, which Arkan had noticed when he found it. At the end of the hilt, a ruby was embedded. Arkan held it out to his father, who examined it with an historian's eye.  
  
Arkan's dad, Zinc, was a fairly well known historian; and a friend of the king of Hyrule. He often visited the castle to use its vast library, and visit with his friends at the castle. Often times, he would help the princess when she had a dream that she couldn't understand.  
  
"Dad," Arkan started, "the inscription on the blade, could you decipher it for me." "I don't see why not; but don't go digging around it Dampe's graves anymore, you no how much he hates that." "O.K.," Arkan said, looking at the floor. "Don't look down at the ground. I'm not going to punish you this time, just don't do it again. Now, go and get ready for your mother. Meanwhile, I'll work on this message."  
  
Arkan left his father's room in a much happier mood; he just hoped that he wouldn't tell his mother. Arkan walked to the end of the hallway upstairs and went into his room. He sat on his bed and looked out the window. Something tugged at his mind, but he couldn't place his finger on what. The rain continued to beat upon the earth in a torrent. Arkan heard a door open and close slowly, and footsteps coming upstairs. "Hello there," came a voice from behind him. He looked behind him to the doorway to his room where the voice had come from.  
  
In the doorway was a woman. She was tall and slender, her face held warmth and love. Her eyes were a deep blue, in them there was calmness. Long, blonde, hair flowed down to about her waist.  
  
"Hey mom," Arkan said. "Where've you been, you're soaked? Were you and Locke getting into mischief outside." Arkan looked down at his soaked clothes; he had been so caught up in the inscription on the sword, that he had forgotten about his clothing. Arkan didn't answer her question, nor did she expect on answer; she already knew the response, she knew her son all too well. "Well," his mother began, "get into some dry clothes and go to bed, it's late, and you'll be sorry in the morning."  
  
Arkan's mother walked out of the room. Arkan pulled his shirt off and threw it in the floor. He slipped his pants off as well and threw them in a heap with the shirt. "And don't' dump your clothes in the floor!" Darn! Arkan picked the wet clothes up and put them in the small chute that led to the basement. He went to his dresser and pulled out a pair of shorts and a T- shirt. Arkan got to his bed and settled into the covers. Sleep came to him easily, a little too easily.  
  
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A.N.- Hope you all liked it. It might take a week for me to upload my next chapter, school and homework (darn) : ). 


	5. Shad

A.N.- Hope you all like this chapter as well as you liked all the others. Keep on reviewing. Also, I've noticed that many stories have disclaimers saying that they do not own the Zelda characters and such. Is this required, or optional? Someone please inform me so I that I may make the necessary corrections. ________________________________________________________________________  
  
A fairly tall man walked through the hallways of Hyrule castle. He wore a green tunic and cap, his blonde hair flowing out from under the cap in a few, medium-sized, ponytails.  
  
He stopped and stared through one of the stone window openings. The rain that had started a few days ago continued to drench the land of Hyrule. The figure stood, looking out into the haze, thinking thoughts deeper than any person could ever think.  
  
When do we move, it has been ten years; surely we have gained the confidence of these people. No. We must wait. There is something we are missing, I can feel it. I will follow your judgment, master. But why must we wait. I already told you, there's more to this than we can see. Hyrule has always had a protector, like a fairy to the Kokiri. When you killed their hero, Link, on that day ten years ago, his spirit left this world. But I have a feeling that Hyrule's Hero will return and destroy all the work we have accomplished. No, we will wait a while longer.  
  
"Hey, Link," a kind voice said from around the corner. Link turned to see a slender woman, with jade-green eyes; and about the same height as himself. "Princess Zelda," Link said, bowing as she approached him. "Oh, Link. You know you don't have to do all that bowing and stuff around me, we're beyond that as friends." "Sorry, Zel. I guess I never will get used to knowing the princess of Hyrule so well."  
  
"Link, I thought you left for the ranch this morning." "So did I," Link answered, "But I just needed to think a little bit longer, something's tugging at my mind." "It's okay," Zelda comforted, "But why don't you go back to your house and rest. Then you'll really be able to think straight. You're lucky. You don't have to be cooped inside these gloomy stone walls for almost all of your life, you get to roam all of Hyrule freely." "It's not all that it's cut out to be, trust me. But, I think I'll take your advice and go home for a while. I think I might enjoy riding in the rain." Link made a slight bow towards the princess, and then walked off into the castle, leaving the princess to think by herself. What's wrong with him?  
  
Link walked through the market square, not saying a word. No one was in the market at the time, the steady downpour too heavy to see two-feet in front of one's self. But Link walked, unhindered by the lack of visibility.  
  
He reached the gatehouse and opened the door. Stepping inside the guards rose to their feet. Link waved his hand at them, and they resumed their bored postures in their chairs. "Would you guys mind opening the gate for me?" Link asked. "Sure, Link. Give me a sec'". The guard stood and disappeared into an opening in the wall. Link leaned against the wall and drew his sword. The blade shimmered in the torchlight, the ruby at the base of the hilt shined brightly. The low steady grind of gears turning and chains lengthening could be heard, and the guard emerged from the door. "Thanks, Trab". Link opened the door and faded into the thick haze.  
  
He walked over the drawbridge and entered the land of Hyrule. Reaching into his tunic, he removed his ocarina, the instrument he had used so often in his adventures. He placed it to his lips and played the all-to-familiar song. The notes flew and faded away into the rain. Link stood there, waiting. Within a few minutes, a horse's hooves could be heard beating on the ground. Out of the haze emerged a horse. It stopped by Link and nuzzled her nose into his cheek. Link patted her on the neck and scratched her ears. "Ah, Epona. What would I do without you? Link mounted the fine horse and galloped off towards Lon Lon Ranch.  
  
The rain hit Link's face, but he didn't care, his mind was somewhere else; in its own small debate with itself.  
  
Master, if I may ask, why must we continue this charade? Why do we need to return "home"? You know why.. You knew what you did when you absorbed me into your own being, you must accept what you did. We must continue with caution, there is no reason not to. No more stupid questions for now. Yes, master.  
  
Epona trotted up the slope leading to the ranch. Malon, Link's good friend and the only person he had close to family, stood under a canopy that lead to the stable. Malon walked up to Link as Epona stopped and looked up into Link's eyes through the rain; their color seemed cloudy, almost like he wasn't in reality.  
  
"Hey Link, how are you." "FINE! Why!" Link snapped. Malon took a step back, surprised by Link's response. "Sorry," Link said apologetically, "I didn't mean to lash out at you like that, I was just thinking that's all." "It's okay, Link, you just surprised me. Come on, I'll help you get Epona into the stall.  
  
Link dismounted the horse and walked behind Malon as she lead Epona to the large door that opened into the stable. It was dry in the barn, which was a comfort to Link; the water was starting to bother him. He opened one of the stall doors and Malon lead Epona into it. Link took the bow and arrows off of her saddle and hung them on a nail near the door. He then removed Epona's saddle and hung it on a nail next to the stall. "Why don't you have something to eat, it's about dinner-time," Malon suggested. Link stood and thought a moment, thinking. "Thanks Malon, but I'll think I'll just go to sleep." "Oh," Malon responded, a slight bit disappointed. "That's okay. But remember, your always welcome to come by for something to eat anytime."  
  
Link held the stable door open for Malon and then started off toward his own house. He trudged through the mud and down the narrow path. He walked in silence past the windmill. He continued to walk in silence all the way until he reached the door, not even thinking.  
  
Link opened the door, went to his bedroom, removed his sword and shield, and took off his soaked clothes. He opened his dresser, took out a dry tunic and put it on. Taking off his sword and shield, he placed them next to his bed. He lay down and thought, each conscience thinking in its own direction.  
  
Master, do you believe it is safe that we rest? Yes, and I will tell you why. Two reasons: if we sleep, whoever is watching us may come out of hiding, and then we will stop them before they can do any harm. And two, this body needs rest. If we do not let it sleep, it will not able to do what we ask of it. I understand, my lord.  
  
Link closed his eyes and went into a deep sleep. The body rejoiced in its rest, having not done so in a long time. But, although the body rested, only one mind rested while the other remained alert.  
  
Master, I hear something. Let us go and see. Yes, my lord. May I take care of this? Yes, you may; just don't mess up, Shad. I will not.  
  
Link took his sword, opened the door of his house, and looked into the haze of the continuing rain. The noises came from farther off in the distance, but he couldn't see who, or what, was making them. Link broke into a run towards the general direction of where the noise emanated.  
  
He reached the pasture and saw what was causing the noise and why. Two men, on black horses, were herding the cows and guiding them toward a narrow opening in the fence, out of the ranch. The cows were frightened, they did not recognize the men; therefore, the two figures were having difficulty getting the cattle to cooperate.  
  
Link walked as close as he could to the herd, and then crouched down, as not to be seen. One of the men started coming toward Link. Link didn't think had spotted him, because he did not see the glimmer in his eyes. His assumption was correct; the man, still on horseback, simply passed by and headed toward the cows. But, Link rose out of his position, drew his sword, and hit the man with a very powerful blow, with the flat of his sword. The man fell to the ground but his horse continued to run towards the cows. The man stood up and looked around to see what had caused him to be knocked off his horse. His eyes met Link's, and they stood determining what to do. The man drew a sword from his back, and Link did the same. The man struck at Link's arm, which he deflected easily. He attacked again, this time at Link's legs; and again, it was blocked with ease. The man continued attacking Link, and Link continued to block. He knew the man's skill could not measure up to his, but he wanted to simply toy with him.  
  
The battle went on until Link heard a whistling noise. He raised his blade, and struck down; making a clink. He looked down at the water-soaked ground. There stood, embedded in the ground, an arrow. Another whistle could be heard, and again, Link struck it down to the ground, then looked up. There, sitting on a horse, was a second man, with a bow in his hand. The man on the ground, seeing that Link was distracted, attacked Link again. Link swung at his sword and knocked it out of his hands. Another arrow sailed through the air. Link swiped at the arrow, deflecting it; and almost hitting the man's head.  
  
"Dax, run!" the man upon the horse yelled. Dax whistled in a shrill tone, and his horse came galloping toward him. As the horse passed, he jumped on and galloped away. "Dak, this guy's trouble, we better stay away from here." The two men galloped off into the haze. Link bent down and picked up Dax's sword; which, in his haste, he had forgotten to retrieve. He stood a few minutes and looked into the rain, waiting to see if the two men would return. Seeing that they weren't, Link ran to the herd of distressed cows, and herded them back into their pasture. Seeing that all was safe, he walked back to his house.  
  
Opening the door, he removed his tunic and put on yet another one. He placed both swords next to his bed and lay down. He smiled to himself, happy that he had been able to save the cattle.  
  
Master, all is safe. I do not believe the two I saw were the ones you felt were here to stop us; they were not even able to touch me. Very well. But, why did you even care that they take the cattle, Shad? All I wanted to know was whether-or-not they were a threat to us not the ranch.  
  
I... I do not know master, it just came over me. It is fine, what is done is done, and we have received no harm.  
  
Link closed his eyes and fell asleep. Again, one mind was alert while the other mind rested.  
  
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A.N.- I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I would like to thank the following people for reviewing so far: Staci, v mm, sparkybw, FireFairy, and heath 999. I really appreciate your taking time review my story; it's very helpful. Also, please do not be surprised if I do not update within the next few days, school is getting difficult and it's getting hard for me to get my hands on a computer. Just thought you might want to know so you're not surprised, that's all. 


	6. Memories

A.N.- Sorry for the wait. But now, you'll like this chapter more than ever.  
  
: )  
  
Also, thank-you Eruantale, for notifying me of the disclaimer thing. Much  
  
appreciated.  
  
Disclaimer- I don't own Zelda or anything else made by Nintendo. All characters used in this story are property of Nintendo, except for my OC's.  
  
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Voices echoed through Arkan's mind; he did not recognize them. He saw darkness, and yet he knew there were people with him.  
  
"Link, my long time friend."  
  
"We were sworn together as brothers."  
  
"I gave you my dearest possession." "You sealed away evil, where it could do no harm."  
  
"You freed me from my seven long years of imprisonment"  
  
"Link, Hero of Time. Remember what happened; remember who you are."  
  
Suddenly, Arkan was no longer in darkness but within a forest, a song sounded throughout it. Arkan followed the music, trying to find its source. The music drawing him nearer to it. He turned a corner and came to the entrance of a bush-maze. Arkan ran in, trying to get through as quickly as possible. Left, right, left, left, right, Arkan searched frantically for the end. Numerous trigs scratched his arms, legs, and face. Finally, he reached the exit: In front of him was a staircase. Taking no time to pause, Arkan rushed up the stairs. In his haste, he stumbled, falling and hitting his head on the stairs. Dazed, he rose and walked to the top.  
  
A strange stone lay in the middle, with an alien symbol on it. Past the stone was an entrance into a mountain, about twelve feet up in the air. The stairs that led to it were partially destroyed. Next to the destroyed stairway was a stump, with a ball of light flying around it; the music seemed to be coming from the stump. He slowly walked to it. A girl  
  
appeared, sitting on the stump.  
  
She had green hair and a strange instrument in her hand. "Who are you?"  
  
Arkan asked. The girl stopped playing and looked up. "Try and remember, Link!" Arkan opened his mouth to speak, but the words never came out. The girl disappeared, as did the forest. Now he was on a mountain, with a path zigzagging back and forth, leading up to the top. It seemed familiar, but he didn't know why.  
  
Smoke billowed from the top of the mountain. Arkan looked behind himself. Sheer cliffs led downward; there was no going back. Slowly, he walked up the path. Arkan looked around, in anxiety. He felt a familiarity to what he was climbing, but his mind didn't understand. He was breathing heavily. The air was becoming much thinner. With effort, Arkan reached the top. A strong wind blew, whisking smoke into his eyes. Arkan shielded them as he climbed the jagged top of the mountain. Eventually, he found a staircase leading down inside the mountain. As  
  
he descended the bridge, Arkan could not help but inhale smoke, causing him to cough uncontrollably.  
  
Soon enough he reached the end of the stairs, where a bridge stood above a river of lava. On the other side stood a figure; it looked like a Goron. Arkan squinted to try and get a better look, but flames leapt out from underneath him, forcing him to step back. The figure just stood, watching Arkan. "Brother," the Goron said in a deep voice, "Don't you know where you are, or who I am? Link, reach into your mind. You will find what you are looking for."  
  
The bridge broke underneath Arkan and he plummeted toward the river of lava. His body becoming hotter and hotter as he fell, and then, suddenly, the lava he was plummeting towards turned into clear blue water. He plunged into the water, the sudden contact causing Arkan to lose his orientation. Involuntarily, he took a breath; after which he became aware of where he was, underwater.  
  
In front of him, a strange woman floated. Behind her was an underwater altar, or so it looked that way. In the middle of it was a dark hole. Arkan wanted to ask a question, he did not how to speak underwater. A voice echoed through his head, "Link, my fiancé`. You  
  
may have left me and forgotten, but I have not. Remember."  
  
The Zora turned and swam toward an opening in the altar. Arkan was still for a moment, contemplating what to do. Finally, he began to swim after the woman, who soon disappeared into the hole. As Arkan entered, he did not feel that he was underwater. He felt his body being turned upright in an upright position. to the ground on which he now stood; strangely enough.  
  
Arkan tried to get a better look as to where he was, but there was nothing to see. His entire surroundings were pitch-black. However, a light crept over what appeared to be mountains, creating a dark purple light. Arkan stood, slightly frightened from all that was going on. Suddenly, a blur passed, to his right. He turned quickly to try and confront what it was, but it had disappeared into the darkness. Another blur to his left, he turned and ran to where he had spotted it. As he ran, he tripped over something; what it was, he couldn't tell. He stood up and wiped his shirt off. As he stood in the near darkness, he felt a presence behind him. He whirled around to see a woman standing behind him.  
  
She was tall, or so Arkan thought. Her hair was white, and her eyes were a dark brown. She wore leather armor, and had a dagger strapped onto her side. Arkan stood terrified, unable to move. The woman stood still, as well, and said, "Link, Hero of Time, and friend of the princess. You sealed the evil up, when it broke away from its restraints. Remember, Link, your destiny." Arkan just stood, dumbfounded, as he absorbed what had been said, as well as everything else that had been said. His surroundings started to change.  
  
Arkan's vision became distorted. All the colors of his prior environment were blending together, so that they were indistinguishable. The colors spun around Arkan, making his stomach rather queasy. The surrounding slowed, and Arkan's vision returned to normal; it seemed as if he was in a desert.  
  
As if in contempt for Arkan's forgetfulness, the wind kicked up the sand, causing Arkan's eyes to sting. Not know what to do, he started walking through the desert. He did not know why he walked, or where. He simply wandered, almost as if not of his own accord. In the distance, through the sand, Arkan saw a figure. As he neared the person, he was better able to ascertain who the person was.  
  
The figure was a woman, but he did not know who she was. By the way she dressed, and that her ears were not pointed, Arkan concluded that she was, at least, not a Hylian.  
  
Arkan continued to walk towards the woman, determined not to let her disappear. However, as he neared, he was hit with a blast of energy. He flew through the air and landed with a thud on the sandy ground. Arkan recovered and stood back up. Again he walked toward the woman, but this time he stayed a few yards away. The woman looked into Arkan's eyes and  
  
said, as if nothing had happened, "Kid, you freed my soul and awakened it. Remember?"  
  
Link fell to his knees, unable to comprehend all that was going on. Who were these people? What did they want him to remember? It was just too much at once. His surroundings started to swirl around him again. No, not another change! Arkan thought miserably, clutching his head in agony. His surroundings continued to swirl, faster, and faster. Arkan closed his eyes,  
  
unable to take it any more. His mind felt like jelly as the spinning continued.  
  
"Link, wake up," an evenly toned voice said. Slowly, Arkan opened his eyes. He stared up into a dark sky. Arkan struggled to get up; sore from his confrontation with that blast of energy. His mind slowly came back together, allowing him to examine his surroundings.  
  
The five people that he had met before stood around him, on different colored pads. In the midst of this, there was another person on another pad. A rather large man stood on it.  
  
He had a white beard and wore an orange coat. "Link," he started, "I know you may be confused, but try to remember."  
  
"Who is Link?" "Brother," the Goron said. "You are."  
  
If I am Link, who am I? who am I supposed to be? Too many questions. Arkan's mind reeled. What's going on. Who are these people? Amid the flurry, Arkan felt a strange sensation of falling. Slowly, he opened his mouth, but no words came. Everything was a cold blackness, until finally he knew no more.  
  
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A.N. - That's it (obviously). Sorry if its not too good, I wasn't feeling too well when I wrote it. Next chapter should be up a little sooner than this one, though. : ) 


	7. Journey to the Market

A.N.- Sorry for the delay. the really long delay. I'll be posting another chapter after this today, and another after that ASAP.  
  
Arkan awoke, the sun shining brilliantly through his window. The memory of  
  
the dream pushed into the depths of Arkan's mind. Not so far as to never be  
  
remembered again, but just out of the grasp of consciousness.  
  
He swung his legs out of bed and walked into the hallway. His father emerged  
  
from his small study as Arkan walked down the hallway. "Hey, son," he  
  
greeted happily, "I couldn't figure out the meaning of the inscription on  
  
the blade your found. I need to use the castle's library. You want to come  
  
along?" Arkan's face lit up with excitement. "Do you mean it dad?"  
  
"Absolutely. Get dressed and have a decent breakfast, we'll leave as soon as  
  
you're ready." Arkan's eyes twinkled as he rushed into his room to change,  
  
he would finally go to the castle for the first time.  
  
Once changed, Arkan rushed out of his room and downstairs toward the  
  
kitchen; the smell of food wafted out of the kitchen, making Arkan's mouth  
  
water. He sat down at the table, quickly, and waited for his food.  
  
Arkan couldn't get over the fact that his father was taking him to the  
  
castle. He had always wanted to go, but Zinc had always said he was too  
  
young and irresponsible. From what his dad had told him, the castle was a  
  
beautiful place; full of gardens, books, and many other exciting things.  
  
Arkan's mother set a plate of two pancakes and a glass of milk in front of  
  
Arkan. Trying not to be too disorderly and rude, Arkan devoured the food as  
  
if he hadn't eaten in two or three days. Rising from the table, he wiped his  
  
mouth and rushed outside.  
  
The rain had finally ceased in its torrent upon the land of Hyrule. The wind  
  
blew lightly through Arkan's long, blonde, hair; the sun shone brightly on  
  
the land. The grass glistened as the sun's light hit their water-covered  
  
blades.  
  
Zinc was already saddling up two horses for the journey. On one horse, he  
  
strapped on Arkan's sword; on the other, he fastened a bow and a quiver of  
  
arrows. Arkan approached the horse, which held the sword, and prepared to  
  
mount. "Are you going to need help getting on, son?" Zinc asked. "No," Arkan  
  
assured, "I think I'll be able to get on by myself." Placing his booted foot  
  
into the foothold, Arkan heaved his body onto the horse. He struggled to  
  
swing his leg onto the other side of the beast, but eventually he was able  
  
to situate himself in a comfortable position. Zinc mounted his horse with  
  
ease and, looking at Arkan, trotted down the path that led out of Kakariko  
  
Village.  
  
Zinc and Arkan crossed the bridge in front of the village. The two trotted  
  
upon their horses in silence; Arkan too excited to talk, Zinc too deep in  
  
thought.  
  
At last, Arkan saw in the distance the outer walls of the castle; the  
  
drawbridge still up, apparently the guards hadn't bothered to lower it yet.  
  
Arkan spurred his horse into a gallop, and sped towards the bridge. Nearing  
  
the walls at an incredible speed, Arkan panicked and tried franticly to  
  
bring his horse to a halt; but the beast refused to heed his command; it  
  
continued its suicide route toward the moat. Arkan yelled and screamed,  
  
trying in some way to make the beast stop, but still the beast ran; but  
  
Arkan continued his attempts and halting the horse. Finally, the horse dug  
  
its hooves into the ground and came to a screeching halt; this took Arkan by  
  
surprise and he was, therefore, flung off of the horse, through the air, and  
  
onto the ground. He skidded and rolled until he fell off of a ledge and plun  
  
ged into the moat. All sense of direction had been lost to Arkan at this  
  
point. He struggled to surface, to breathe the precious air of which his  
  
lungs craved so earnestly. His head popped above the surface of the water as  
  
he gasped desperately for air. Finally having obtained an idea of what had  
  
happened he waited for his father to come to his aid, for the ledge he had  
  
fallen off of was so high that he could not climb out by himself.  
  
The sound of hoof beats could be heard. Soon, they came to a halt and  
  
footsteps were heard, coming towards Arkan, who waited patiently in the  
  
water of the moat. Zing looked over the ledge and at his son, with a look  
  
that said he was sorry, yet wasn't sorry for what had happened.  
  
Zing reached his hand out toward Arkan, who gladly reached and grasped his  
  
father's hand in his. With a slight bit of difficulty, Zinc hauled his  
  
sopping wet son out of the moat. Now out of the water, Zinc looked his son  
  
over, as any father would.  
  
Arkan was bleeding from his elbows, arms, and knees; but nothing fatal.  
  
However, there was a rather deep gash in his right arm. Seeing this, Zinc  
  
went to his horse and removed a pouch. From the pouch he took a few  
  
bandages. He knelt down by Arkan and, with careful hands, wrapped Arkan's  
  
wound. Arkan winced in pain, and yet he put up with it despite the  
  
discomfort. "This'll hold for now," Zinc said aloud to himself, "but I need  
  
to buy a potion." "What?" Arkan asked. "Nothing, I just need to buy  
  
something now, don't worry," Zinc assured.  
  
With this, Zinc took his son by the hand and led him to his horse. Picking  
  
him up, he set Arkan down on the horse and then mounted his own. Now,  
  
though, Zinc faced another perplexing situation, the drawbridge still hadn't  
  
been lowered. Zinc sat upon his horse, contemplating how he would get it to  
  
open. Arkan too, stared at the drawbridge and tried to find a way to get it  
  
to drop. Finally, Zinc bumped head, wondering why the idea hadn't occurred  
  
to him before. Beside the drawbridge was a window, rather narrow, though.  
  
Zinc slowly trotted over to the window. Taking his bow and an arrow, he  
  
aimed it at the window. The wind blew hard, forcing Zinc to lower his bow  
  
and wait patiently. The wind continued to blow relentlessly, as if an  
  
intelligence was what was causing the wind to continue to blow. Slowly the  
  
wind died, seemingly reluctant. Again, Zinc raised his bow, aiming it at the  
  
window. Zinc waited a moment, to be sure that the wind would not kick up  
  
surprisingly; finally, satisfied with the lack of wind, Zinc let the arrow  
  
fly.  
  
The arrow flew through the window and could be heard ricocheting off several  
  
walls before finally ceasing to fly about the room. The sound of footsteps  
  
and voices could be heard, and a man's head popped out of the window and  
  
yelled, "What do you think yer' doin.. Oh, Zinc, sorry. I didn't recognize  
  
ya'." "That's fine, Trab. I just need you to lower the bridge." "Sure Zinc,  
  
gimme' a sec'." Trab's head disappeared into the wall. Another voice could  
  
be heard, which was followed by another. The drawbridge slowly brang itself  
  
down and finally stopped. Zinc led Arkan across the bridge, turning into a  
  
small alcove; where a number of pegs stuck out of the ground. A few horses  
  
were already tied to a few of the pegs. Zinc led both of the horses to two  
  
vacant pegs. Taking the reigns, he quickly tied both up and left; taking bag  
  
from one of the saddles. He walked down the short road that led to the  
  
bustling crowd that made up Hyrule's great market.  
  
Zinc held Arkan's hand tightly, as to not lose him in the throngs of people  
  
that passed by. The crowds around each section of the market formed a human  
  
wall around them. Zinc pushed through them with difficulty, and approached  
  
the door of the potion shop. Opening it, he rushed in and closed it quickly,  
  
glad to be out of the madness of the market. He approached the counter where  
  
a tall fair skinned man with short hair stood. Zinc pointed to a red pot on  
  
one of the shelves, and motioned to a bottle he held in his hand.  
  
"Sure thing, let me get it ready," the man behind the counter said. Taking  
  
Zinc's bottle, he walked out of sight to the back of the store. Arkan  
  
approached his father and asked with pleading eyes, "Dad, can I go to the  
  
Happy Mask Shop. Please." Zinc stood a moment and then replied, "Sure thing,  
  
Arkan. But just be sure not to go anywhere else. When I come to get you, I  
  
expect you to be in the mask shop." "O.K. dad, I will," Arkan said with  
  
delight. With this said, Arkan opened the door and exited the shop.  
  
Arkan was caught off guard by the swiftness of the moving crowd, and was  
  
swept away like a leaf dropped into a rushing river. Arkan fought to try to  
  
and go against the constant flow of people, but soon gave up as he saw that  
  
the effort was hopeless.  
  
He continued to walk with the mob (if you will) until he saw an outlet in  
  
the walls, looking like an alley. Arkan pushed and shoved his way over to  
  
the outlet, but the current of people swept him away before he could get to  
  
it.  
  
Unknowing as to what he would do, he asked no one in particular, "Does  
  
anyone know where the Happy Mask Shop is?" A large man with a red bulbous  
  
nose turned to him, smiling, and said, "Oh, Link how are ya'.. Wait a sec',"  
  
the man said, hesitantly, "Yer' not Link are ya'?" Arkan looked at the man  
  
perplexed. Who was Link. "No sir, I'm not. But do you know where the Happy  
  
Mask Shop is?" "Course I do," the man said, laughing in such a way that his  
  
entire body jiggled and gesturing with his hand, "It's over there. Ya' can't  
  
miss it." "Thank-you, sir," Arkan said, appreciatively. "Ah, it's nothin',"  
  
the man replied. With that, the large man walked away, making a path for  
  
himself through the crowd with his body.  
  
Pleased with the direction he had acquired, he made his way through the  
  
crowd with great effort. Seeing a door, he pushed with all the strength he  
  
had to reach it before the rush of people could sweep him away. Reaching out  
  
his hand, he opened the door and quickly entered. Glad that he was safe from  
  
the crowd, Arkan took time to calm himself down as he looked around the  
  
room. The walls were covered with masks of all shapes and sizes, colors and  
  
hues, faces and figures. Arkan stood wide-eyed at the overwhelming amount of  
  
masks that he saw. Finally, for the first time, he was at the shop his  
  
friends had always been talking about. And, though he had never been to the  
  
Happy Mask Shop before, he recognized a great number of masks. A bunny hood,  
  
a mask shaped as a stone, a pig mask, a mask of a skeletons face. Arkan was  
  
baffled at the fact that he recognized any of the masks at all.  
  
"May I help you?" a voice asked from behind the counter. Arkan looked up to  
  
see a man with slanted eyes looking down at him with a smile. The man was  
  
tall, with read hair. Arkan approached the counter, behind which the man  
  
stood. The man's eyes widened as Arkan approached. "Link?" he asked,  
  
bewildered. "No sir, I'm not Link," Arkan said, calmly, "My name's Arkan. I  
  
saw someone else who thought I was Link too. Who is he?" "Oh," the man said,  
  
the expression on his face fading away, "just someone I once knew. But the  
  
boy that I knew changed on that day, ten years ago." The man's last words  
  
trailed off as he stared out into space, thinking back to a different place.  
  
Seeing that the man did not seem to want to continue speaking, Arkan went  
  
back to his examining of the masks on the walls. Something in the back of  
  
his mind grew stronger, striving to be discovered by Arkan's consciousness.  
  
But it was still too weak, it would have to wait for another chance.  
  
The door opened and Zinc stepped into the room. He looked over at Arkan and  
  
asked "You ready, son,". "Yeah," Arkan responded. Taking his son by the  
  
hand, Zinc led him out of the shop and back into the madness of Hyrule's  
  
market.  
  
Zinc walked unhindered by the massive amounts of people rushing by. He  
  
emerged from the crowd onto a road, which led to the castle. Zinc reached  
  
into his bag and removed a bottle full of a red liquid. He handed it to  
  
Arkan, saying, "Here Arkan, drink this." Arkan took the drink and removed  
  
the cork. Lifting to his lips, he let the liquid flow smoothly down his  
  
throat.  
  
It tasted sweet in his mouth, and he enjoyed it while it lasted. But,  
  
eventually the fluid was drained from the bottle. Handing the bottle back to  
  
his father, he waited for something to happen. He looked at his father but  
  
said nothing, Zinc simply smiled back. Suddenly, Arkan felt a tingling  
  
sensation in his arms and legs. However, the sensation felt strongest where  
  
the gash on Arkan's right arm was. Looking at his father, he removed the  
  
bandage and was astonished by what his eyes saw before them.  
  
The wound was closing up by itself. As each side of the wound met the other,  
  
the line that was left behind disappeared blood and all; leaving nothing  
  
more than a faint scar. Arkan looked around at the other wounds he had. They  
  
too were closing up and disappearing.  
  
Arkan looked up at his father again, a question in his eyes and about to  
  
come out of his mouth, but Zinc came up with an answer before he could speak  
  
the words. "It's a healing potion made of a special type of mushroom. I got  
  
it so you wouldn't hurt while you were at the castle; besides, that gash was  
  
pretty deep, I was worried." Arkan was too amazed by his experience to  
  
answer, or say anything for that matter. Zinc saw this and simply led his  
  
son down the road towards the castle.  
  
Arkan looked to his side and saw a massive building. "Is that the castle?"  
  
He asked, pointing to the building. "No," Zinc said, "that's the Temple of  
  
Time" Arkan continued to stare at the structure. "It houses the Master  
  
Sword," Zinc continued, "When evil encroaches upon the land of Hyrule, and  
  
threatens to destroy the world we have labored so hard to create, the Hero  
  
of Time will take the sword from it place and strike the evil down;  
  
banishing it to the sealed realm, where it will live out the remainder of  
  
its existence.. alone" "Whoa," Arkan said, but he said no more. He was  
  
seeing, hearing, and feeling so much. His mind couldn't talk and sort out  
  
all that was going on at the same time. Instead, he simply walked on with  
  
his father down the road.  
  
As the two walked down the road, they neared a gate, guarded by two men in  
  
armor holding spears. Apparently, the guards knew Zinc, for they called for  
  
the gate to be opened before Zinc could even ask. Thanking them, he walked  
  
past the gate and guardhouse.  
  
Finally, they both reached the end of the road. A drawbridge lay lowered,  
  
which both entered. Arkan's eyes widened, yet again, as he saw the vastness  
  
of the place he had entered.  
A.N.- Review if you like, I'd appreciate it. 


	8. The Castle

A.N.- Wow! Posting two chapters in one day. I hope I can do that again. and soon. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this one!  
  
All around him were flowers and plants, of all colors and hues. The scents  
  
of the flowers mixed together and wafted into Arkan's nose. The place felt  
  
warm and inviting. Indeed, the castle was all that his father had said, and  
  
more.  
  
Zinc followed a narrow path into a stone wall, where hallways stretched on  
  
to lengths unimaginable by the mind. Zinc knew where he was going, and  
  
turned right and walked down the hallway. The torches lining the halls  
  
glowed brightly as they walked. Zinc and Arkan passed door after door, but  
  
Zinc paid no attention to them. Suddenly, as if by random thought, Zinc  
  
opened a door and entered; Arkan close behind.  
  
The room was simple. It consisted of a bookcase, desk, a few candles, a  
  
dresser, and two beds. Arkan felt completely at home, although the grey  
  
stone walls did cast a slight gloom over the place. "This," Zinc began, "is  
  
our room. Remember where it is so I don't have to go looking for you. Now,  
  
with that said, run along; have some fun. It might take a day or two before  
  
I can finally decipher the inscription on this sword." Arkan nodded and left  
  
the room, in search of entertainment.  
  
He wandered aimlessly through the corridors, not sure on what he wanted to  
  
do. As he walked, he heard voices coming from a nearby courtyard and the  
  
clashing of something. He quickened his pace and walked through an opening  
  
into a wide and grassy area.  
  
Two boys, about the age of fifteen to seventeen, were sparring with wooden  
  
swords. One would advance a few steps in offence, and then retreat a few  
  
steps as his retaliated in his own offense. Arkan watched in enjoyment as  
  
the two fought. One of the boys let his guard down for a moment to rest,  
  
upon which his opponent moved in and placed his sword next to the other's  
  
throat.  
  
"C'mon, Polin. I was takin' a break," one of the boys complained. "Yeah,  
  
well you don't take breaks in the middle of a battle, Radx," Polin retorted.  
  
"But, this isn't a real battle." Radx continued. "Yes, that's true," Polin  
  
admitted, "But you should practice in such a way that you would be prepared  
  
if you were face-to-face with your enemy." Radx nodded but said nothing.  
  
Polin then turned his head to where Arkan stood. "Hey, kid. What are you  
  
doing here," he asked. "Oh," Arkan answered, surprised in Polin's sudden  
  
interest in him, "I was just watching. I enjoy athletics." "Really?" Radx  
  
asked, slyly "Do you fight well with a sword." "Well," Arkan said  
  
hesitantly, thinking back to his fight with the animated corpse, "yeah, I  
  
guess I can fight O.K." "Well then," Radx said, "would you like to fight  
  
me." "Uh. sure," Arkan accepted.  
  
Radx tossed Arkan a wooden sword, and Polin stepped back against the wall.  
  
"I'll watch the fight, and make sure things don't get out of hand," Polin  
  
announced, looking at Radx; who smiled but said nothing.  
  
Sword in hand, Arkan felt as if he could take anything or anyone on; like a  
  
great power had been bestowed upon him. Then, Arkan realized how he felt,  
  
and wondered why. Him defeating the corpse was mere chance. How am I going  
  
to beat this guy, Arkan thought. But, something inside him pushed that  
  
thought away and focused his mind on the battle at hand.  
  
Radx placed his feet firmly on the ground, and Polin motioned for the fight  
  
to begin.  
  
Radx quickly swung at Arkan, knowing this would be an easy battle; but his  
  
opponent proved him wrong. Arkan moved his sword and blocked the blow with  
  
relative ease. Radx was visibly surprised by Arkan's quick reaction, and was  
  
caught off guard when Arkan swung at his leg. Clumsily moving his swiping  
  
his sword, he was barely able to block the strike. Both boys rallied back  
  
and forth, neither one gaining an advantage over the other.  
  
Radx was beginning to become frustrated. Why can't I beat this kid, he  
  
thought. Intent on ending the battle, Radx charge and Arkan and swung with  
  
all his might. In Arkan's conscious mind, he was terrified, but  
  
sub-consciously, this was nothing to fret about. As Radx neared, Arkan bent  
  
down. This took Radx by surprise, and he rammed into Arkan. Using Radx's  
  
momentum to his advantage, he brang himself back up, flipping Radx over an  
  
onto the ground, on his back. Flipping his sword, Arkan involuntarily  
  
prepared to plunge the sword into Radx. He raised the sword and was about to  
  
bring it down when a hand seized his arm.  
  
"Whoa, kid. Don't over-do-it," Polin said, laughing a smile that held a  
  
slight hint of fear. Radx still lay on the ground, eyes wide with terror as  
  
he looked at the sword that hovered above his head. Slowly, Arkan lowered  
  
the sword. Polin helped Radx to his feet as Arkan stood frozen. What was I  
  
doing, he thought. "I.I'm sorry, Radx. I don't know what came over me,"  
  
Arkan apologized. "It's fine, kid." Radx replied, "I guess I just  
  
underestimated you. You're pretty good." "Thank-you," Arkan said, "but I don  
  
't deserve it. I could've hurt you a lot worse than a simple bruise."  
  
"Indeed you're right there. But, that'll teach me to be patient," Radx  
  
responded.  
  
"I'll think that's all the fighting we'll do for now," Polin interjected.  
  
"Yeah, I think so too," Radx agreed, "See ya' later kid." Radx and Polin  
  
walked away and left Arkan to stand there.  
  
Arkan looked up at the sky, the sun was setting behind the mountains casting  
  
shades of orange, purple and grey into the already dimming sky. Wow, I've  
  
been here longer than I thought.  
  
What was I thinking, Arkan thought. He mulled over the thought in his mind  
  
as he walked down the hallway towards his father's room. He opened the door  
  
and stepped inside, no one, beside himself, was there. "Dad must be in the  
  
library," he said to no one but himself. He left his room and walked down  
  
the hallway. But, again, he knew not how to get to where he was going.  
  
As Arkan walked aimlessly through the hallways, he reveled in the warmth and  
  
warmth that the castle provided. As he came to an intersection, he heard  
  
footsteps. As the footsteps grew louder as they neared, the feelings Arkan  
  
had felt about the castle was drained from him. The warmth and comfort was  
  
replaced with cold and darkness; Arkan grew fearful. The faint mark in his  
  
left hand glowed dimly and burned so that he thought it would burn his hand  
  
to the bone. The footsteps grew louder, and Arkan's fear increased. His  
  
sight dimmed, making him hard to continued walking. Around the corner, a  
  
fairly tall man came. Arkan's body collapsed in weakness, but he was caught  
  
up in strong arms and set on the ground. Quite suddenly, the feeling of cold  
  
and darkness left Arkan, and the warm and comfortable feeling of the castle  
  
returned. With these feeling gone, Arkan was able to get a better look at  
  
the man.  
  
The man was wearing a green tunic and cap. He had deep blue eyes and blonde  
  
hair flowing out from underneath his tunic in several, medium sized,  
  
ponytails.  
  
"Are you O.K. there, kid? You looked like you weren't doin' so good," the  
  
man asked. "Yes, I think so," Arkan said hesitantly, "I don't know. I was  
  
just suddenly overwhelmed. But I'm O.K. now, thank-you." "Anytime kid. I'm  
  
always willing to help. It's practically my job. What's your name anyway,  
  
kid." "My name's Arkan," he answered innocently. "Hey, I know your father,"  
  
the man exclaimed, "Yeah, I've heard of you before. Your father's told me  
  
about you. I'm Link." "Link?" Arkan asked amazed. "Yeah, but don't go acting  
  
all different when you're around me. I hate it when people act all nice to  
  
me when they find out who I am. So, where ya' goin', Arkan?" "Well, I want  
  
to go to the library, but I don't know where it is," Arkan admitted. "Oh,  
  
that's simple," Link said motioning with his hand, "go down this hall and  
  
turn left the first chance you get. Then go down the hall until it ends. You  
  
'll see a large door; it leads to the library. You can't miss it."  
  
"Thank-you, sir," Arkan said thankfully. "Heh, anytime kid," Link said.  
  
With that, Link walked off. But as he walked off, Arkan heard different  
  
voices throughout his head. They talked back and forth' but Arkan could not  
  
understand them nor did he know not who or what they were from. However, he  
  
quickly dismissed it as nothing and walked off in the direction Link had  
  
shown him.  
  
Turning a corner, Arkan walked down the corridor and came to a large door,  
  
with gold lines carved into it in intricate patterns and designs. Assured  
  
that this was the library, Arkan pushed open the door and entered.  
  
The room was immense, with lengthy rows of bookshelves extending in all  
  
directions. There were large stain glass windows on the walls, allowing  
  
light to come through them in dazzling colors of all kinds. Many torches  
  
burnt throughout the room, so that it was always available to those who  
  
needed it at anytime. All through the library were tables, at which one sat  
  
Arkan's father hunched over a book, examining Arkan's sword, and then  
  
scribbling on a piece of paper. Arkan approached his father and looked at  
  
the book at which he was reading.  
  
It was written in a foreign language to Arkan, but it had a picture in it  
  
that he could understand. There were two swords in the picture. One of the  
  
swords looked almost identical to Arkan's, and the other was different; it  
  
was longer and had a jewel at the end of its hilt.  
  
"How's it going dad?" Arkan asked. "Oh, I deciphered the inscription for  
  
you," Zinc answered, "It doesn't quite make sense. It says, 'Light gives way  
  
to darkness, and darkness gives way to the light in it.' I'm working on  
  
something right now. There's more to that sword you found then meets the  
  
eye. But, it'll take me a while to finish." "Thanks dad." "Sure thing, son,"  
  
Zinc said.  
  
After a moment, he closed the book and rubbed his eyes. "Well," he said,  
  
gathering his papers into a neatened stack, "I think it's time I gave it a  
  
break. C'mon Arkan, let's go to bed." "O.K. dad, I guess I'm a little tired  
  
too." Zinc left his work on the table and walked out of the library with his  
  
son. This indeed is a strange legend, Zinc thought.  
It was late at night, a figure searched through a book. Finally, he came to  
  
a picture of two swords. The figure drew his sword and compared to one of  
  
the swords in the picture; they were practically identical. He read a few  
  
paragraphs of the book and then silently closed it and replaced it on the  
  
table from which he had taken it. Making sure all was as it had been, the  
  
figure left the room silently.  
  
In the quietness of his room, the figure thought to himself.  
  
Master, is he the one we have searched for?  
  
Yes, I believe so.  
  
Should we kill him now?  
  
No! We shall not chance that. Instead, our "other" shall do it.  
  
Ah, master, I understand.  
  
The figure brought out an ocarina and lifted it to his lips. Carefully, he  
  
played notes that faded away into the stone walls of the castle. The elegy's  
  
cloning began.  
  
An eerie green light surrounded the figure. I became thinner and thinner  
  
until, finally, it was molded to the figures exact shape and size. The light  
  
then removed itself and came together in front of him. The light took form,  
  
and became solid. In front of the figure stood another as himself, but not  
  
quite the same  
  
This figure was only a clone, made to do nothing but it's creator's will. He  
  
had no heart, or soul. His eyes held color, but there was no life in them.  
  
His mind knew nothing but one thing, and this knowledge would help him  
  
complete the only task of his existence. It knew only how to kill. Its  
  
wisdom was great, but deadly. It knew how the body worked, so it could  
  
calculate when it would tire so it could make a precise kill. He was of the  
  
darkness; he knew nothing else.  
  
"You know what you must do?" the creator asked. The heartless figure nodded  
  
but said nothing. "You will attack at night, and never be seen. Do you  
  
understand?" Again the figure nodded, but said nothing. "Good, then be  
  
gone." The figure left the room in a flash, off to do his master's bidding.  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
A.N.- Chapter 9 should be up soon. Until then, review if you'd like. 


	9. Flight

A.N.- Here's chapter 9. Sorry for the delay. I'll try to write the next one a little faster.  
  
__________________  
  
Chapter 9: Flight  
By: Shadow Link  
  
Arkan tossed and turned in his bed: his breathing increased. Something called out to him from his mind, yet he did not know it. He saw images that no child should be exposed to; scenes of death and destruction. A coldness overcame his mind; the darkness crept in around him.  
  
We are coming, can you see us? We are closing, can you save yourself? You shall die, along with the rest of them all! Ha! You, the hero of time!  
  
Arkan sat up, his bed sheets soaked from his sweat. He stared at the opposing wall, trying to slow his breathing. The blood still pumped through his head, and he was dazed from the quick switch between the dreaming world and reality. Arkan's thoughts dwelt on the dream that had awakened him. But, as is the nature of all dreams, it faded back into the recesses of his mind and was soon forgotten: yet, though it did fade into an endless oblivion, there was a feeling instilled into Arkan that compelled him to leave. He looked over at his father: he slept peacefully, unaware of Arkan's awakening.  
  
Ever so slowly, Arkan quietly got out of his bed and crept over to the desk. He took a single backpack from among the other things, and put the relic sword into it. Why he chose to do this, he did not know. It might have seemed practical to take a sword for what he planned to do on his own, but this thought should not be dwelt on. He quickly put on his shoes and left the room silently.  
  
The corridors of the castle were empty and soundless, save Arkan and the hollow echo of his footsteps on the stone floor. The torches that lit the corridors helped instill a sense of being at home in Arkan. He was saddened that he had to leave, but the dream compelled him to go. Arkan was afraid, afraid of the darkness he had felt in his dream.  
  
Darkness is a thing which cannot be fully comprehended by most people: since its very nature would be normal to anyone, it is not noticed as frequently as one might expect. But to a boy, one who had a great destiny awaiting discovery in the inner depths of his mind, he understood. The distinction between darkness the light was apparent, and he had felt the darkness. It awakened something inside of him that told him to leave, to protect those around him. The darkness was after him, and would eliminate anyone who became an obstacle; this was the wisest choice.  
  
He walked on silently, his thoughts focused on one central, at-the-moment point; to leave. Arkan walked through the exit of the castle and entered the courtyard.  
  
The flowers were beautiful in the moon light: Arkan paused for a moment to admire it. Flowers of all colors and types dotted the entire garden. Flowers that only bloomed in the night shone their sparkling silver petals. Paths ran throughout the garden, intersecting at different junctions. Trees stood around the garden as well, casting faint shadows onto the ground.. Arkan sighed and continued walking through the silent garden.  
  
He heard footsteps closing, the time Arkan had chosen to take to admire the garden was his folly. A sentry rounded the corner of another exit and walked in the general direction of Arkan. The adrenalin pumped through Arkan's head, he glanced at the nearest tree; its boughs were covered with overwhelming amounts of leaves and its trunk was thick. As quietly as was possible for him, Arkan darted to it and scrambled up into the branches; but the climb wasn't perfect. As Arkan climbed into the tree, the boughs were weighed down by his weight, causing the leaves to rustle. The sentry stopped; looked over at the tree Arkan had taken to hiding in. "Hello?" Arkan froze. The sentry neared the tree and looked up. Arkan moved to the other side of the tree and made his way down. The sentry examined the leaf- covered boughs. "Hello?" he said again. Arkan landed on the ground silently and made his way down the path, bending low to allow the flowers to cover his form. The sentry sighed and continued walking, grumbling.  
  
Arkan reached the end of the drawbridge and confronted his next difficulty; the bridge was not down since it was night. It would be a while before the guard would lower it: Arkan had to find a different way out. Hiding in another tree, Arkan examined the wall, looking for some kind of opening. His eyes moved down the wall and then stopped at a thick group of vines that had grown to the top of the wall. He smiled to himself and descended the tree.  
  
Arkan glance around him, no one was in sight. Taking hold of the vines, he tested his weight; they would hold him. Using his arms, he pulled himself up the vines. He was halfway up when he heard voices nearing.  
  
Two men appeared out of the castle, a bit away. "I tell ya'," said one, "I heard the leaves move." "Does it matter," said the other, "You checked and then we both just did, there was no one there." "Still, I think there's somethin' up." "I doubt that, no one could break in or out of this castle without us knowing. Don't worry Barden, you'll get used to these things." "I know.but still. That could've been someone." "True."  
  
The two guards continued to banter, Arkan tuned out there words. All that was on his mind was how he was going to hide. He was too far up to simply jump down, and he wasn't strong enough to make up the rest of the way quickly. Arkan looked at the wall through the vines; he knew where to hide. Wrapping his one of his feet around a vine, and grabbing hold of some of the vines with his hand, he parted the them a bit. Slipping into the opening, Arkan unloosed his foot. He quickly closed the gap in the vines and wrapped himself in the inner ones so he wouldn't fall. The guards walked past the vines without even casting a glance at them. Arkan realized that he had been holding his breath and exhaled deeply. He froze. He looked over at the guards through the vines, they didn't seem to have noticed. As soon as they were at a safe distance, Arkan came out of his hiding place and continued his climb.  
  
The top was but a few feet away, but his arms were losing immense strength. They burned under the exertion they were being put through. The adrenalin coursed through his veins, the only source of the strength his arms needed to continue the climb. Arkan's throat was hoarse from the cold air rushing into his lungs. Beads of sweat ran down his face. He stretched out his arm and grabbed the top of the wall. With a grunt, he heaved himself onto the top of the wall. For a while he lay there, trying to calm himself. A light wind blew, evaporating the sweat from his face. He sat up slowly contemplated his next move.  
  
Arkan sat at the top of the outer stone walls of the castle. About thirty feet below him was the moat. Guards patrolled the grounds before him. Arkan watched the guards intently, looking for patterns. Standing up, he stepped off the wall and fell toward the water.  
  
Two guards walked towards each other outside the castle next to the moat. They met and began talking with each other in hushed tones; so as not to disturb the silence of the night. As they talked, a great mass impacted the moat, sending water into the air. Startled and surprised, the two guards looked down into the moat. A boy lay seemingly motionless in the water. Reaching down and setting down his spear for a moment, one of the guards took hold of the boy and raised him from the water. Laying him down on the ground, the two watched the boy. Spitting up water, the boy sat up and looked at the two guards. "What happened?" the guard with his weapon asked. "I. I don't know. I.I was standing-" that was all that Arkan said. With great speed, he picked up the spear of the guard who had pulled him out. Readying it, he hit the armed one with the staff of the spear in the head: he collapsed to the ground. The other guard rose and lunged at him. With an upstroke, Arkan bashed the mans chin with the spearhead; he too collapsed to the ground, motionless. Dropping the spear, Arkan left the two to awaken on their own and wonder what had happened.  
  
The commotion Arkan had made with the two guards had roused others to see what was the matter. Hiding in the bushes, Arkan watched as they all passed by. Arkan listened intently to what they guards were saying, but he only heard bits and pieces. "There's.one reason.. would happen. Someone's.. into.castle." As the guards scattered this way and that, Arkan was already running hard towards the town square.  
  
Arkan walked through the empty town silently. His thoughts dwelt a bit on the two guards he had attacked; yet, he did not grieve for them. He wondered how he had been able to do such a thing; he brushed it aside quickly, but the matter still existed. Arkan was a boy of the age of ten, not a warrior.  
  
He heard something behind him. He whirred around and almost burst out laughing at what he saw. A white, scruffy, dog stood behind him wagging his tail happily. Arkan turned back and continued through the square; the dog followed. Suddenly, the dog barked. Arkan turned and tried to quiet it, but the dog barked all the more. "Shut that dog up!" a voice said from a nearby building. Arkan started running, the dog chasing him and barking all the way. Arkan reached the exit and nearly collapsed as he approached it; the drawbridge was up. A figure came from out of the shadows and called to the dog. The dog immediately stopped barking and came to the man. "Please excuse my dog, he tends to bark at strangers. But, if I may ask, what bring a boy like you here in the middle of the night?" Arkan's mind raced for an answer. What should I tell him? If I lie, will he catch me? "Come now boy, what is it?" "I.I'm delivering a message to Kakariko village," Arkan stammered, trying to sound sure of himself. "I see," the man said calmly, "But this late at night? Couldn't it have waited 'till tomorrow?" "N...No. It's very important."  
  
The man nodded slowly, turning towards the wall as he did so. Arkan struggled to look at the man's face, but all he saw was a face masked in shadow; no distinctions could be made.  
  
Arkan followed the man slowly with his eyes. The man reached the stonewall and searched about it with his hands. Arkan watched anxiously, wanting to be out of the range of any guards that might be headed his way. Soon, the man's hand sunk into the wall, and a chunk of the wall moved away to reveal a doorway about two-and-a-half feet wide and six feet tall. The man beckoned for Arkan to follow him inside.  
  
The hall he had entered was dark, however the moonlight that flooded in from the many windows that lined the hallway he seemed to be in helped. Metal semi-circles along each side of the hall indicated that at one time there were torches that lit this hallway. It had the feeling of abandonment in it; as if at one time it had been used more frequently.  
  
"Follow me," the man said, turning right and walking down the hallway with confidence.  
  
Arkan walked slowly down the never-changing corridor. "They used these to get the princess in and out of the castle without drawing any attention from the people," the man commented, seeming to read Arkan's mind, "However, her father's strict rules have stopped her playing outside of the castle; so these hallways have fallen into disuse. I myself use these quite often. During the busy times at the market, these make it easier to get around."  
  
Arkan saw the end of the hallway in sight, and a wooden door to the left; the door had a heavy metal sliding lock on it. The man stretched out his arm and with a grunt, moved the heavy iron into an un-locked position. The man pushed the door open and let the moonlight shine onto him; his face still could not be perceived, but Arkan thought he saw a massive scar and the man's left forearm.  
  
"Here you are child," the man said calmly, "Go and deliver your message."  
  
Arkan quickly exited the hallway and was almost ready to forget about the man when he turned. "What's your name?"  
  
The man stood for a long moment, as if pondering whether or not there was actually an honest answer he could give to the seemingly easy question. "Names are not needed in a situation such as this," the man said finally. "The fact that you are outside the walls is enough. Now go along; I thought that message was important." Arkan, remembering the actual reason why he was running from the castle, nodded quickly and began walking at a brisk pace towards Kakariko.  
  
Arkan breathed lightly as he walked across the quiet plains of Hyrule. The moon shone brightly on the blades of grass and the leaves of trees; a light breeze blew across Arkan's face and ran through his long blonde hair.  
  
Reaching the bride that crossed the river, which fed through the castle walls, Arkan sat down at the edge of the river to rest his sore legs: it had been several hours since he had made it out of the town and started the main leg of his journey. Dawn was coming up rapidly; the sun was beginning to show it first rays of light over the distant mountains; creating a light grey color in the sky.  
  
Arkan rose with a deep breath and started his journey again, but he didn't get far. A strong and bony hand reached out of the ground and grabbed Arkan by the heal of his left foot. He turned quickly to see that about five sets of skeleton arms were rising quickly out of the ground. Too terrified to move, Arkan forgot about the sword which he carried in the backpack he had; he simply stood there; gripped with fear. Before long, the skeletal creatures had risen from the ground and were moving towards Arkan; the hand, which gripped his ankle, remained firm. Arkan Struggled to free himself, but only succeeded in tightening its grip.  
  
By now, one of the creatures had come close enough to Arkan to prepare to strike him. In a last ditch effort, motivated mostly by fear and adrenalin, Arkan leaped towards the river. As he did, he remembered the deadly grip that the hand had on his ankle. He felt his leg pop out of the socket; however, the hand released its grip. Excruciating pain shot throughout Arkan's entire body; all his senses dulled. The pain was too immense for his mind to comprehend; he heard the splashing of the water as the creatures started pursuing him.  
  
Arkan black out.  
  
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A.N.- That's all for this chapter, hoped you liked it; review and tell me yea or nea (yes or no). I'll get to writing chapter 10 as soon as I can. 


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